


All We Are

by lumenera



Series: The Fukurodani Academy for the Arcane Arts [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Akaashi Keiji Is So Done, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Don't Worry About It, Lev burns down a school, M/M, Magic, Magic AU, Magic Schools, POV Multiple, POV Third Person, Tokyo Schools centric, and cooking idk why, lots of letter writing, who let Bokuto and Kuroo be roommates, yes i am a sucker for studio ghibli, you don't have to call me out on it okay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2020-06-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:28:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23863051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lumenera/pseuds/lumenera
Summary: Lev burns down a school and now, his peers hate his guts. Go figure. As if being the new student wasn't enough.The paranoia won't leave Yaku's head. Strange dreams invade his sleep and haunt his waking hours.Akaashi can't catch a break. But when can he ever? Juggling schoolwork, a sudden influx of students from the neighboring school, and a crush that won't go away, his chance at a normal school year is long gone.Kuroo struggles to live up to his parent's expectations, torn between who he is and who they want him to be.Bokuto becomes a single parent to a very nap prone, judgy dragon named Totoro. The dragon may or may not breathe fire.And Kenma just wants to play video games, not be dragged into a plot that could cripple the magical world for good.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji & Bokuto Koutarou, Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Bokuto Koutarou & Kuroo Tetsurou, Haiba Lev & Yaku Morisuke, Haiba Lev/Yaku Morisuke, Kozume Kenma & Kuroo Tetsurou, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou
Series: The Fukurodani Academy for the Arcane Arts [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1744711
Comments: 13
Kudos: 26





	1. Shattered Tranquility

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “How was school today, Lyovochka?” Alisa asked over dinner.
> 
> “I burned it down,” Lev said through a mouthful of rice. 

Lev Haiba hadn’t meant to set the school on fire. It was purely an accident, but by the way his fellow students were glaring at him, he was pretty sure they didn't think of it that way.

From where they all huddled at the edge of the sidewalk, they could hear the screaming alarms loud and clear. Lev clapped his hands over his ears in a futile attempt to drown out the sound. It didn't work. When Yaku, Lev's tutor, had suggested that he do some practice on his own on top of his homework, this was probably not what the older boy had in mind. To be fair, this wasn't what Lev had in mind, either. He was pretty sure, as the caster, he wouldn’t be hurt, but that only applied to fire that he had in control. Lev clearly did not have the fire in control.

 _Well, so much for extra practice during lunch._ It wasn’t like he had anyone to sit with for lunch, anyway. A few students were friendly to him, like Inouka or Shibiyama, but they had their own friend groups, and Lev didn’t feel comfortable joining in.

The orange and red flames clashed with the Nekoma school colors. Students ran out in a frenzied hysteria, carrying whatever they could salvage from the burning building. Teachers and some of the more powerful third years summoned huge jets of water to douse the flames, but they did little to deter the raging fire that consumed their school in the blink of an eye. As a magical fire, it was much more powerful than a normal one.

"Burning down a school is not an _accident_ , Haiba!" Yaku screamed after he confessed. _Easy for him to say_ , Lev thought. The third year was one of the strongest students in the school, which was why he'd been chosen to tutor Lev in the first place. Yaku's anger had also included a kick to the side, which _hurt_ from someone so short. He winched and rubbed his side again.

They all watched the school building turn into a smoldering wreckage. If it was possible, he felt smaller than Yaku every time a jab or whisper came his way, bringing him closer and closer to the ground. He refused to make eye contact with anyone, instead, focused his eyes on the fire.

The teachers gave up on trying to save the building, and instead cast a protective dome around the student body, calling for a head count. No one was missing, which was a relief. The worst injuries from the group were coughing and a few burns, nothing that couldn't be healed with fresh air and a few minutes with the school's clinician. 

He didn't want anyone to get hurt from his mistake. Lev breathed a sigh of relief, releasing his worry. 

Someone screamed as the wood of the building shifted, sending flying sparks their way. The barrier the teachers erected held, bouncing the sparks harmlessly off to the ground, where they fizzled out.

They all watched, entranced by the flickering flames, until their school was nothing but timber wood and smoke. The teachers releashed the spell, but most of them looked dead tired from having to exude so much magic, even though they were working together. Headmaster Nekomata called them all over for a meeting while the rest of the students huddled at the edge of the sidewalk. No one talked to Lev, though he heard his name being mentioned several times, mostly with disdain. He ducked his head, feigning an interest in his shoes. Being the new student had been bad enough, but now he was the new student who burned down Nekoma.

Attending class would be impossible for him. In a physical sense, with no building, and because he was Lev Haiba.

“May I have your attention, please?” Even though Headmaster Nekomata looked exhausted, he still commanded attention and respect from the way he stood.“School has been canceled for the rest of the day. Please return home and further information will be sent later this evening.”

The rest of the student body slowly trickled out of the school yard in twos and threes. Lev walked alone, still in shock, hands curling into fists to stop them from shaking. He'd caused this. He'd caused this.

_Don't cry, Lev._

***

“Hey, Bokuto-san, did you hear?” Akaashi rounded the corner of the bookshelves to where his friend was sitting. “Nekoma burned down after an incident so they’re transferring all the students here--Bokuto-san, is that a dragon?”

“Agaashe!” Bokuto grinned widely at him, and with it, his heart almost stopped beating. _Stupid crush_. “It is a dragon! His name is Totoro.”

The dragon couldn’t have been bigger than Akaashi’s forearm. It was currently taking a nap, its golden brown scales contrasting the dark green of the textbook it lay upon.

“Where did you get a dragon?” he asked slowly, keeping his tone as even as possible. It reminded him of Bokuto’s eyes, but he wasn’t going to say that, more interested in how he managed to procure a dragon. Akaashi was determined to keep his thoughts in check.

“Ito-san gave him to me.” The Beasts and Plants professor had always been a little deranged, but Akaashi never thought that he would go as far as to give a 17 year old boy a _dragon_. Apparently, he thought wrong.

“But why?”

“For a project! I have to observe him and feed him and stuff. Ito-san says I can keep him when I graduate.”

Akaashi ran out of words to say, so he settled for, “Well, put him away, we are in a library. Dragons and priceless manuscripts don’t mix.”

“I don’t think he’s a fire dragon, though.” The aforementioned dragon snorted in his sleep, and steam blew from its nostrils. Bokuto amended his statement. “Okay, so maybe he is. But Totoro is way too young to burn anything down, and look how cute he is!”

“Two things: One, shouldn’t you be studying? And two: The library has a strict no magical creatures policy.”

“But Akaashi, I can’t just leave him in the dorm, he’d be lonely.” Bokuto perked up as a new thought occurred to him. “Hey, when Kuroo shows up, he can help me take care of him!”

Akaashi never met the infamous Kuroo Tetsurou, but he knew more than enough about him, through whispers in the halls and Bokuto’s excited ramblings about his “Nekoma Bro”. No one had ever told him exactly what happened, but both Kuroo and Bokuto were the sole reason why Nekoma and Fukurodani didn’t have an exchange program for students anymore. He sighed, pulling out his notes from class. He needed the study time. “Just don’t get caught before then.”

Mathematics had gotten so much harder this year, and if Akaashi wanted to keep his grades up, he would have to study much harder. Bokuto didn’t help, even though he was supposed to be studying as well. This time, however, he was distracted by his new dragon.

He sighed again. Akaashi was going to have his hands full this year.

***

“How was school today, Lyovochka?” Alisa asked over dinner.

“I burned it down,” Lev said through a mouthful of rice. 

Alisa slowly put down her bowl. “You what?”

He ducked his head in a very similar manner as he did in the Nekoma courtyard. It was no use, there were only two of them at the dinner table and nowhere to run from his sister’s piercing gaze. Lev winched. “I burned down the school,” he repeated.

She rubbed her forehead and sighed. “What happened?” It didn’t take a genius to know that she was disappointed in him. To be honest, so was Lev himself. 

“It was an accident,” he started, but before he could finish, he was interrupted by a thump at the door. Alisa pushed back her chair and went to go see what the disturbance was. When she returned, she was ripping open a cream colored envelope to extract the paper inside. Lev recognized the Nekoma seal on the back. Alisa’s eyes flickered over the letter once before she handed it to Lev.

_Dear Families of Nekoma students,_

_As you may have heard, today Nekoma High School suffered from an unfortunate incident. The entire school campus has been burned, and thus making it an unsuitable place as an institution of learning. The Fukurodani Academy for the Arcane Arts has graciously extended an invitation to our student body to join them in the rest of their classes until Nekoma is rebuilt, or the duration of the rest of the school year, whichever comes first. Our staff will be helping with the rebuilding efforts and thus leaving our student’s education in the more than capable hands of the Fukurodani staff._

_Please keep in mind that the Fukurodani Academy is a boarding school, so students will have to pack appropriately for the duration of the school year. Students will continue to wear their uniforms from Nekoma._

_As of now, we do not have an exact date as to when Nekoma will reopen, but we are confident that we will be able to return next year, to Nekoma High School, to continue our students’ education._

_Nekomata Yasufumi_

_Nekoma High School Headmaster_

“You best start packing.” Alisa clicked her tongue, then picked up her chopsticks.

Lev reread the letter. At least the Fukurodani Academy was located on the outskirts of Tokyo, so if anything happened again, then there wouldn’t be anyone around to see. Though it wasn’t like Lev was planning on burning down another school.

***

Everyone typically had the same dinner, but the kitchen was a privilege for responsible students. Akaashi had earned that privilege halfway through his first year, but he had never had a good reason to cook until now, finding himself craving tamago. Being at boarding school felt far from home, but life was more or less the same. He was as close to his classmates now as he was when he first arrived at Fukurodani, which was not at all. Probably the closest friend he had was Bokuto, preferring to keep to himself rather than find himself in the company of others. Of course, that was because, for some reason, Boktuo fixated himself on becoming Akaashi’s friend.

He grabbed two eggs from the refrigerator, then levitated the soy sauce from the counter as he pulled the white sugar from the cabinet. He needed the telekinesis practice anyway. Akaashi had forgotten the exact recipe for tamago a while ago, but he remembered the basics well enough. He picked up a spoon, spatula, and a fork from the drawer before getting a bowl from the other cabinets. With one hand, he cracked the first egg into the bowl, carefully watching for bits of pearly eggshell. When he found none, he set the egg he just cracked aside and reached for the second one.

“There you are!” Akaashi dropped the egg, but Bokuto’s telekinesis caught it just in time. “Sorry, Akaashi! I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“It’s fine, Bokuto-san.” He plucked the egg from the air and cracked it against the rim of the bowl, throwing away the remaining eggshell. Akaashi rinsed his hands under the sink, his hands feeling gooey from the egg residue, drying them on the cloth towel nearby.

“Whatcha making?” Bokuto stole a look at the ingredients. “Ooh, tamago? I want some too!”

Akaashi moved to get two more eggs. If Bokuto wanted tamago, he would make some for him, but when he turned around, the older boy had already procured his own bowl and set of utensils. “Akaashi, please teach me!”

Akaashi raised an eyebrow at him. “You don’t know how to make it?”

He glanced at the floor. “No, I was never taught. I’m really bad at cooking.”

“Okay.” He handed Bokuto the eggs. “First, you crack the eggs in the bowl.”

Bokuto dutifully complied, tapping the egg on the side of the bowl and splitting the eggshell. The first egg wasn’t a clean break, and little bits of eggshell swirled in the egg white. Akaashi levitated the pieces out and threw them away while Bokuto watched.

“It’s okay, Bokuto-san. It’s something that gets easier with practice.” Akaashi cracked the second egg for him, showing off as he performed the task with one hand. Bokuto looked impressed, and Akaashi felt a sense of satisfaction. “Wash your hands, because you don’t want to contaminate anything.”

Next came the other ingredients. Akaashi demonstrated, and Bokuto copied his motions without trouble. “Put one and a half spoonfuls of sugar in your bowl, then one and a half of soy sauce. Then you take your fork and whisk it, like this.”

“You’re so smart, Akaashi.”

Akaashi lightly blushed, looking away, hiding his face as he got out two small, rectangular pans. He turned on the stove and drizzled the pans lightly with oil, gesturing for Bokuto to come over.

“Pour some of the mixture on the pan.” He swirled the egg so the bottom of the pan had a thin coating of the egg mixture. It hissed, solidifying where it touched the hot pan. Bokuto followed in suit. “Now we wait for it to fry.”

Bokuto nodded solemnly, like the secrets of the universe had been revealed to him in that moment. One of Bokuto's weaknesses, as Akaashi knew, was good food. Hopefully, his tomago would be able to live up to the standard.

“Can you get two plates?” Akaashi asked him while he watched the eggs. Once the older boy came back with two plates, Akaashi folded the egg into a rectangle, and transferred it to the plates, one for each person. He repeated this process until there was no egg mixture left.

“Enjoy, Bokuto-san.” he said, handing the other boy a plate and a fork.

“Thanks, Akaashi! You’re the best.” Bokuto eagerly stabbed the egg. “It’s delicious.”

“It was nothing.”

“Seriously, why are you so smart?” Bokuto devoured the rest of the eggs on his plate. “Here, I’ll do the dishes.”

“I can do them--” Akaashi stood up to go to the sink, but Boktuo put his arm out.

“No. I want to.” When he saw that Bokuto wasn’t going to back down, he relented, passing him his plate, then the bowls and spoons they’d used.

“Thank you, Bokuto-san.” While Bokuto washed the dishes, he put away the rest of the ingredients they’d used and wiped down the counter. 

“Hey, Akaashi?”

“Yes?”

“Can you come back to my dorm and help me ward it? I don’t want Totoro burning down the place.”

“Of course.” Bokuto led him back to his room, which was empty when he opened it. Akaashi found the light switch next to the door and flicked it open.

“I’ll be right back,” Bokuto promised. Vaguely, Akaashi remembered Bokuto saying something about not having a roommate because he transferred to Shinzen. He found Totoro on the top of Bokuto's nightstand, in a nest of fleece blankets.

“Hey,” he said softly. “I’m Akaashi Keiji. Nice to meet you.”

The dragon slowly raised its head. Akaashi got the feeling that the dragon was judging him. Then, he blinked once, and looked away, deeming him as not a threat. Akaashi raised a hand, and slowly stroked his scales down to his spine. Totoro’s tongue flickered out, but other than that, he remained still.

“He likes you!” Bokuto said from the doorway, delighted. “I left him here because he was sleeping, but now it looks like he’s awake.”

"What exactly was it that you wanted me to do, Bokuto-san?" Akaashi asked, turning to face him.

"Oh! So I was thinking fireproofing spells, mostly. Probably a couple protective wards, like I can't take Totoro to some classes, but I need him to stay here and not wander around the school."

"You do remember that I'm a second year, right?" Akaashi arched an eyebrow at him.

"But you're also really powerful, so if anyone can do the spells, it's you." Bokuto pointed out. "Besides, magic's always easier when there are two of you."

Silently, he blamed his willingness to help on his crush. He didn't want to let Bokuto down.

"I brought you my Defense textbook." Bokuto waved his book in the air. "There's a whole section on fireproofing spells and stuff like that."

Akaashi took the book from him. Their fingers brushed for half a second, and he felt as if an arc of lightning jolted through his arm, nearly dropping the textbook. He quickly set it down on Bokuto's spare bed, flipping it open to the table of contents. _The fireproofing spells would be the easiest,_ he thought, but--

"Bokuto-san, what's the fireproofing rune?" They hadn’t covered it in class yet, but Bokuto, as a third year, should have known what it was.

The older boy traced it in the air before saying, "But don't spells cover areas, and runes cover objects?"

Akaashi clicked his tongue in disappointment. "You're right."

Runes would have been faster and took less magic to cast, but less effective when trying to protect an area, like Bokuto's room. He'd forgotten. Akaashi flipped to the fireproofing section in the textbook. He read the spell twice, then stood up and put his hand on Bokuto's shoulder. For the spell to be more powerful, he needed Bokuto to act as a secondary energy source, but he didn't want to touch his arm again, afraid that it would mess up the spell. The limited contact would work. He closed his eyes, and imagined a barrier settling over the room, whispering the words of the spell. _None postest non urere._

A wave of dizziness crashed over him, and he stumbled. Bokuto caught him before he fell, keeping him upright. "Akaashi, are you okay?" His golden brown eyes looked down on him with concern.

Akaashi used the wooden bed to get up. "Just a bit of magical exhaustion. I'm okay, Bokuto-san."

"Then it must've worked, right?" Bokuto snapped his fingers, and a flame danced on the tip of his index finger. He moved towards the wall.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Akaashi warned.

"It's okay, I trust your magic." Bokuto touched the wall. The flame fizzled, but the plaster did not catch on fire. He exhaled. It worked.

"See, Akaashi? I told you so." He extinguished his finger. "I can do the other spell. I didn't realize that this one would exhaust you so much, I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay. I just drew more power from myself instead of from you." He waved away Bokuto's concerns. "I'm not used to drawing magic from another source. I'm fine, really."

“I’ll do the other one,” Bokuto insisted gently. “Head back to your room. Thank you so much for your help.”

“No problem. Good night, Bokuto-san.”

“Good night, Akaashi.”

His roommate was already in bed when he got back, reading a manga novel. Akaashi changed out of his school uniform and into his pajamas. He brushed his teeth, then splashed water on his face, staring himself down in the mirror. His reflection stared back at him, black hair and grey-blue eyes. He dried his face with a towel, then exited, turning off the bathroom light. Kohona had already turned off the main light, and was reading by the light of the lamp on his nightstand.

“Good night, Akaashi.” Kohona said, not looking up from his book.

“Good night, Konoha.” Akaashi tucked himself in and closed his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shoutout to the Tsukkiyama gc, you guys are super cool
> 
> This thing took AGES to plot but I hope you like it, thank you for reading! Leave me a comment or kudos if you want, or come hang out with me on [tumblr](https://lumenera.tumblr.com)


	2. Welcome to the Academy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Dude, you have a _dragon_ ?” Kuroo’s eyes went wide once he saw Totoro.
> 
> “Yep!” Bokuto held the sleeping, golden-scaled reptile up proudly.

Yaku awoke in a cold sweat. Gasping, he sat up, untangling his legs from the blankets, kicking them onto the floor. The darkness of his room greeted him. The only thing visible was the electronic numbers on his alarm clock, dimly blinking back at him. _5:34 AM_. He gulped down the air, trying to calm his racing heartbeat. _Breathe_. It was just a dream. _Breathe_.

He heard the light in the hallway click, then his door opened, illuminating his bedroom. Namika had always been a light sleeper, so it was no surprise he'd managed to wake her up.

"Mori-nii?" she asked, her small voice barely audible. "Are you okay?"

He smiled at his younger sister. "I'm okay, Namika. You should go back to bed."

"I heard you scream."

"It was just a dream." Those words were for her comfort as much as his own. “I'm sorry I woke you up."

"It's okay. Sleep well, niisan."

"Sleep well." The door closed, and Yaku was thrown into darkness once more.

It felt so real, his dream. The explosion, the shattering of glass as it hit the floor. The screams. His eyes, darting around in a place he’d never seen before. The foreboding terror, creeping up his throat. He closed his eyes. This wasn't the first time he'd had this dream, wasn't it? But it was the first time he screamed along with it.

Yaku knew that he wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep. He rubbed his eyes. His heartbeat settled to a normal, steady, rhythm. He let it calm him down. _Thump. Thump. Thump._ He took another deep breath. It was just a dream; it didn’t mean anything, right? Just a recurring nightmare.

He slipped out of bed and tiptoed down the stairs, careful not to wake anyone else. Opening the refrigerator, he pulled out the leftover rice from dinner and fixed himself a snack of onigiri. Yaku munched on the rice and seaweed as he tried to put the dream out of his mind.

***

They gave the Nekoma students the rest of the week to pack. Fukurodani was a boarding school, unlike Nekoma, so staying there for the rest of the school year meant they would be staying in dorms. Kenma wasn’t complaining; he was done packing by the first day and spent the next three playing video games. Kuroo had been helping him test out some enchantments to extend battery life on his PSP, but none of them seemed to be working so far. Magic and electronics were an iffy business, much more prone to accidents then positive results. None of the enchantments so far had too much of a negative effect, but there was no positive one, either. He double checked to make sure he had the chargers for his 3DS and PSP packed. He did. He went over his game collection one more time. He only had so much space for games to bring, which meant he had to choose wisely. Kenma had been debating his choices all week. Finally, he settled on Zelda, Mario, Pokemon X and Y, Pokemon Sun and Moon, Fire Emblem, and Animal Crossing. He would’ve brought his entire collection if he could, but he couldn’t fit them all.

Kenma sighed, and flopped back onto his bed. The break from school meant he had more time for video games, and he wouldn't complain about that. Then, he remembered that he would be leaving for Fukurodani in a couple hours.

Dragging his luggage down the street to Nekoma would be a pain. He didn’t look forward to it. And carrying it with magic would be more tiring along with being a shocking sight to the non-magical people who lived nearby, so he wouldn’t be able to do that, either.

Tucking his hair behind his ears so he could see properly, he focused on playing Pokemon instead. That was a much more pleasant thought to deal with. He walked through the grass and found a Sewaddle, which he managed to capture on his first go. A Leavanny sounded nice to have once it evolved. Kenma managed to make it to the next town over before the time came to leave, much sooner than he expected. He saved his level, hugged his parents goodbye, and set off for Nekoma, dragging his suitcase behind him. He only lived a couple blocks away, so it wasn't long before the school came into sight.

Nekoma looked much worse once the fires had burnt out. Kenma’s mind flashed back to the last time he’d seen the building amidst flickering flames. Now, the skeleton of metal supports lay bare, blackened and surrounded by shattered glass and ashes. He inhaled sharply at the sight. Looking around, he could tell that some students were still bothered by the fire. They still ostracized Lev Haiba, the first year who had apparently started it. Personally, Kenma doubted this, though he didn’t say it outloud. A first year burning down a school? Unlikely, but Lev could have been extremely powerful. He would’ve gone over to talk to him, but he didn’t feel like socializing with a boy who he only knew the name of, so he didn’t. Kenma liked keeping to himself.

A few teachers drew runes on the side of the building, or what was left of it still standing. Before their eyes, the runes opened up a doorway, revealing a dense forest with bathed in sunlight on the other side. 

“Third years, please enter first, in groups of two. Next will be first years, then second years, and the teachers will be last. Does everyone understand?”

Kuroo and Kai went first, dragging their luggage behind them. Kuroo flashed Kenma a cocky smile before he walked through the portal and disappeared. Kenma could see him in the portal view, waving on the other side. That prompted the rest of the third years to go as well, followed by the first years, more confident that they had an example to follow. Then, Kenma and the rest of his year stepped through the portal and out to the other side. Fukurodani was built on a beautiful piece of land, surrounded by a forest filled with chirping birds.

Kenma checked his PSP, then his 3DS. After stepping through the portal, the magic could have interfered with the electrical current, and the last thing he wanted was to have his devices damaged. His PSP took longer than normal to start up, but that would be an easy fix, once he unpacked. His 3DS, on the other hand, was unscathed. He put his PSP away, and booted up Pokemon, trailing behind the rest of the students as they made their way towards the school building. He had a Gym leader to defeat.

***

“Bro!” Akaashi heard the boy shouting in the halls long before he saw him, but judging by how fast Bokuto’s head snapped up, this was the infamous Kuroo. Bokuto charged out of the library. Akaashi sighed and went after him. So much for their study session. Behind his back, he knew that people said he was too focused on his studies. Apparently, wanting to do well in school was a crime nowadays.

“Bro!” The two embraced loudly in the foyer, the rest of the Nekoma delegation behind them. Akaashi didn’t think it was possible for Bokuto to get any louder in the time that he knew him, but clearly, he was wrong. Bokuto Koutarou could get much louder.

Kuroo Tetsurou had messy, spiked, black hair, part of which covered one of his eyes. Akaashi wondered if he could see well enough.

“You guys are so loud,” another boy complained, hands firmly attached to a red 3DS. He had half bleached hair that fell almost to his shoulders, and when he looked up, Akaashi noted the startling color of his eyes. They were a deeper gold than Bokuto’s, and vaguely reminded him of a cat.

“Kenma!” Bokuto merged his hug with the boy seamlessly, ignoring the boy’s startled glance, creating a three-person hug. Akaashi studied the situation with raised eyebrows. The three of them had attracted the attention of everyone in the halls, and the population of curious students had doubled, thanks to Kuroo’s yelling. On the other side, a hundred or so Nekoma students curiously watched on. Some of the older students were winching. They probably remembered the transfer program, and those memories probably weren’t fond ones. Akaashi didn’t blame them. He knew firsthand how Bokuto could be, and if the scene in front of him was any indication, Kuroo was no better. He could only imagine what kind of havoc the two would wreak together. Akaashi cringed inwardly.

There was one student that caught his eye in particular. He had silver hair and stood a few inches taller than the rest, his eyes darting around, taking the Fukurodani Academy in. So far, all the Nekoma students had seen was the main entrance and foyer, but it was still an impressive sight, his school. He knew that. _Perks of being a magical school_ , Akaashi supposed. But the thing was, the rest of the students were mostly standing ways aside, like they were secluding themselves away from that silver-haired boy.

Akaashi jutted out his lower lip, thinking, but the thought was interrupted by Bokuto, who broke the hug and turned towards him. Kenma looked very relieved to escape those confines, eyes promptly refocusing on the device in his hands, fingers quickly moving.

“And this is Akaashi!” Bokuto beamed at him before turning back to Kuroo. “Akaashi, this is Kuroo.”

“Nice to meet you, Kuroo-san.” Akaashi said automatically, taking a step forward to come closer.

“The pleasure’s mine.” Kuroo replied. “Bokuto talks about you a lot.”

 _Did he now?_ Akaashi wondered what Bokuto said about him.

“Akaashi’s really smart.” Bokuto chimed in.

“Thank you, Bokuto-san.”

They had all the Nekoma students put their luggage in the cafeteria for the time being, then let them loose on the school to explore. Bokuto and Kuroo disappeared the second they were able to leave. Akaashi went back to the library and tidied up Bokuto’s textbook and notes so he could return it to him later, then continued on with his homework. 

***

“Dude, you have a _dragon_?” Kuroo’s eyes went wide once he saw Totoro.

“Yep!” Bokuto held the sleeping, golden-scaled reptile up proudly. Its eyes fluttered open lazily, eyed Kuroo, then shut them, uninterested. Bokuto stroked Totoro’s back with a finger, who rumbled softly. “His name is Totoro.”

“You could have named him Testurou, if you were going with T names.” Kuroo suggested slyly.

Bokuto winked at him. “But why do I need another Testurou when I have you?”

“He’s adorable.” Kuroo returned the wink, then pet Totoro on the head with a finger. He helped himself to Bokuto’s bed, sprawling over the covers. “So that was Akaashi, huh?”

“He’s super pretty, isn’t he?” Bokuto said excitedly. “And he’s, like, super smart, he helps me with my homework and stuff and he’s a year younger.”

“Dude, you’ve got it bad.” Even without knowing about Bokuto’s crush on the younger boy, he would’ve been able to see it within minutes of meeting him. He had to agree though, Akaashi Keiji was unnaturally pretty. That was unfair on his part. Whatever genetics the boy had, Kuroo wanted some.

“I know.” Bokuto pouted, then reached out and poked Kuroo in the side. “Move over.”

Kuroo obliged, leaving space for him on the bed. Bokuto placed Totoro back on his little makeshift bed on his nightstand. The dragon burrowed up further in the fuzzy blanket, exhaling contentedly.

“If only I could be a dragon,” Bokuto mused out loud. “Life would be so much easier.”

“Keep telling yourself that,” he said with a snort.

“It would be, though.” Bokuto pointed out. “No schoolwork, no crushes to lose my head thinking about, great food...” He trailed off. “Instant grill.”

“The instant grill part seems pretty nic—wait. Bokuto.” Kuroo tilted his head upwards so he wasn’t face down on the bed, looking him in the eyes. “We have magic.”

“Oh, yeah.” Bokuto grinned sheepishly. “I forgot.”

They sat in silence for a few moments, just two friends enjoying each other’s company.

“You know, Kuroo?” Bokuto asked.

“Hmm?” Kuroo shifted into a sitting position.

“We’re going to have so much fun together now that you’re here.”

His face split into a wide smile, nodding. “That we are, my friend.”

“What should we do first?” Bokuto clapped his hands together.

“Oh, I have plenty of ideas.”

***

School was canceled for the next day while the new students settled in. Bokoto and Kuroo managed to get a room together, which was probably the wrong choice on the administration's part. Akaashi remembered that Bokuto had been complaining about not having a roommate earlier in the year, but now, he was probably glad he didn’t, otherwise he and Kuroo couldn’t be together.

Two days after the Nekoma students arrived, Akaashi woke up early. It was too late for him to go back to sleep, so he pulled out a piece of paper and started to write a letter. He had a cousin in Miyagi who was a first year, and he wanted to see how he was doing, as a good older cousin of sorts.

_Dear Tobio,_

_How is school? Are you adjusting well to high school? I’ve heard good things about Karasuno, so you should do well there. I do hope it’s treating you well. Have you made any new friends?_

_Fukurodani is interesting, as always. Currently, we are hosting the Nekoma students because their school burned down, as I’m sure you have heard already. I’m curious to see what our classes will be like, because I’m not sure if their teachers will host their own classes or if we’ll be joining classes, since we mostly have the same curriculum._

_Write back when you have time, hope you don’t have too much schoolwork. You’re just a first year, so they shouldn’t be loading you up just yet._

_-Keiji_

He sealed and addressed it before dropping it off in the mail room on his way to the cafeteria for breakfast. Headmaster Yamiji made an announcement. “The rest of the Nekoma teachers will be headed back to the Nerima Ward to supervise the rebuilding of their school, while Headmaster Nekomata stays here. Their students will be integrated into the Fukurodani classes to finish out their educational school year.”

The Nekoma students stood out sharply in their dark blue blazers and red ties versus the Fukurodani gray blazers and striped blue ties, but their dress code only specified school uniforms. It never asked for Fukurodani school uniforms, and it would have been a pain to have roughly 100 uniforms tailored on such a short notice for students who technically didn’t attend Fukurodani on a full time basis. Besides, it was only for the rest of this school year, wasn’t it? Akaashi’s classes increased to accommodate the new students, and they seemed mostly on par with the curriculum. His first class of the day was Elemental Summoning, which he rather enjoyed.

“Today, we’ll be starting the water unit, and with some review. Water is summoned from the humidity in the air and surrounding bodies of water, like oceans and lakes. The more humid it is, the more easily you will be able to summon. We will also be working with water manipulation today.” Kiyomizu-sensei passed out plastic cups to each student standing on the edge of the lake. “Fill your cups to the brim with water. I will demonstrate.”

He thrust out his hand towards the lake, and a water pulled itself toward him. He slowly pulled his palm back, guiding the water towards the plastic cup in his hand. The water tricked down the side and filled the cup, excess water spilling over the brim.

“This exercise focuses on your control,” Kiyomizu called out as the students, with varying degrees of success, attempted the task. “The closer you are to larger bodies of water, the easier it is to summon as well. In our later classes, we will be calling the water directly from the air. Of course, in a pinch, you can get water from ice or snow, though that is much harder to manipulate because of its phase of matter.

“Calling too much, however,” he added after one student accidentally doused himself in lake water, “Can be disastrous on your part.”

Akaashi concentrated, and water slowly tricked into his cup. He looked over at Kenma, who was put into his class, and found that the boy was already done and on his PSP, thumbs tapping away. He was pretty sure he’d never seen the other boy without an electronic device of some sort.

Once everyone had managed to get water into their cups, the next task began.

“Take the water in your cup and float it in the air.”

28 bubbles of water floated in the air. One burst almost instantaneously. Kenma, on the other hand, still had his eyes glued to the small screen in front of him, while his water bubble didn’t budge an inch in the air. Akaashi was impressed with Kenma’s display of control. His own bubble wobbled slightly on the way up, but now that he wasn’t moving it, it held still.

“Now, close your eyes and hold it there for as long as possible.”

Akaashi focused all his attention on maintaining the water in the air, but without a visual reference, it was much harder to do. His concentration slipped after two or three minutes, and he felt the water splash onto his shoes. Akaashi opened his eyes. He’d lasted longer than most of the class, but there were still a few students left, Kenma one of them. He’d finally put his PSP away and complied with the instructions with his eyes closed.

“Excellent job, Kozume-kun.” Kiyomizu-senpai nodded appreciatively. If Kenma had heard him, he showed no sign of it, eyes still closed. In the end, Kenma came in third out of the entire class, though he didn’t seem to care either way. Akaashi studied him carefully. There was more to Kozume Kenma than what met the eye, it seemed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized that Konoha was a third year, but for the purposes of this fic, he is a second year because Akaashi needs a roommate and I don't feel like creating another oc to deal with.  
> Come hang out with me on [tumblr](https://lumenera.tumblr.com), I need friends :)


	3. Dragons and Bros

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "There you go, buddy. You don't need to start hunting just yet, and I don't want my room to look like a battlefield."
> 
> "You talk to him a lot." Hirakawa remarked dryly. She pulled her bird out of the bath and washed the remaining suds off his feathers with jets of water.
> 
> "He's a good companion," Bokuto defended himself. 

"How's my darling little boy doing?" Ito-sensei cooed at Totoro, leaning forward so that his face was closer. Totoro snorted at him, and Ito-sensei set him on the wooden table, where the golden dragon set about exploring the tabletop, curiously scratching at the wood. "Feisty boy. You're feeding him well, right, Koutarou-kun?"

"Of course I am!" Bokuto was a little offended that his teacher thought he couldn't take good care of his dragon, frowning. "Three meals for Totoro, every day."

"Very good, very good." Ito-sensei gave both him and his dragon a head pat, and Bokuto perked up at the praise. "Of course, you're my best student. I wouldn't have given you a dragon otherwise. Go do your measurements, then come back and I'll do his checkup, okay?" His teacher waved him off, then moved on to the one of his classmates, Hirakawa Mei, and her creature, a young vermilion bird.

"Okay, Totoro, time for measurements." he said cheerfully, picking up the dragon without fuss. Bokuto set him on the scale, recording his weight. _3.2 kilograms_ . He pulled a notebook from his bag and opened it to the first page. Bokuto scribbled the weight into the chart in his notebook, then moved Totoro to check his height. "You are a beautiful boy, did you know that?" Totoro did not answer. Instead, he looked extremely bored to be there. Bokuto laughed. "Of course you know."

Bokuto grabbed the measuring tape from the table, and it whipped around in the air, unraveling to match Totoro's length. Bokuto read the numbers that lit up, jotting that down as well. "48 cm. You've grown a bit."

Totoro's tongue flickered out, then he shut his eyes, his body relaxing into the table. Bokuto stroked his back, and Totoro’s eyes fluttered shut, laying his head down.

"Why do baby dragons sleep so much?" He wondered out loud to no one in particular. His eyes landed on the date at the top of the chart, and his train of thought derailed. "Ooh, did you know it's gonna be your birthday celebration soon? Almost in two weeks. We're totally going to celebrate. I should start making a guest list. Of course, Kuroo will be there, and Akaashi. You like ‘Kaashi, don't you? Yeah, me too. And Kenma. That sounds good, doesn't it?" He closed the notebook and tucked it under his arm before gently scooping Totoro up in his palms. "I should probably file your claws. Can't have you scratching up my room, can I? It may be fireproof, but it's not scratch proof."

He carried the dragon to the creature grooming station. Hirakawa was already there, arms deep in a tub of soap, water, and one soaked, pouting vermillion bird. Maybe he didn’t like baths? She nodded to Bokuto as he passed by. He grinned back. He pulled the file out of its compartment and gently tugged on Totoro's front left leg so he could dull his claws down. Then, he switched legs, filing down his other set of claws until all were done. "There you go, buddy. You don't need to start hunting just yet, and I don't want my room to look like a battlefield."

"You talk to him a lot." Hirakawa remarked dryly. She pulled her bird out of the bath and washed the remaining suds off his feathers with jets of water.

"He's a good companion," Bokuto defended himself. 

Hirakawa just nodded and summoned some air to dry her bird off.

"Koutarou-kun!" Ito-sensei called from the other side of the clearing, sounding impatient. "Are you done yet?"

"Coming, sensei!" he called back. Totoro hopped onto the ground and stretched his wings out to their full length. Bokuto was delighted to see them. "Magnificent," he breathed. "Com'on, it's checkup time."

Totoro followed behind him as he walked over to where his teacher sat on a bench, now with a pair of glasses perched on his face. Ito-sensei nodded approvingly, like he hadn't seen him just 10 minutes prior. "Ah, there he is." He picked him up and ran a hand over his scales. "Healthy, very good. No injuries. I see you just filed his claws?" When Bokuto nodded, he continued with his checkup, opening the dragon's jaw to check his teeth. "All sharp, no broken teeth. Has he started flying yet?"

"Not yet."

"Well, he's still got time. Everything seems to be in order."

A little jet of smoke escaped from Totoro's nostrils. Ito-sensei leaned forward, interest piqued. "He's breathing fire already?"

"A little bit. Does that mean I can't keep him in the castle?"

Ito-sensei waved a hand. "He'll be fine."

"Are you sure, sensei?" Bokuto asked, mildly concerned.

"Don't worry about it, Koutarou-kun. He seems to be in perfect health. Very good. You know, normally, for this class, we don't get to have dragons in our study, but this year, we got one, and I instantly knew you would be perfect for the job." Bokuto tried to pay attention, but his concentration wavered as his professor droned on.

"Koutarou-kun?" Ito-sensei gave him an intense stare.

"Yes, Ito-san?"

"Do you agree?"

Bokuto's eyes darted left and right. He hadn't been listening. He smiled and nodded, going for a safe bet. "Yes, Ito-san."

Ito-sensei nodded back, apparently satisfied. "Very good. Class ends early if you’ve finished everything that you need to do." He placed Totoro back into Bokuto's cupped hands. "There you go. Minato-kun! Come here!"

“Thank you, Ito-san.” He set Totoro on the ground so he could slide his notebook and pen back into his bag. Totoro wandered off on his own, but he made sure to keep a close eye on him, letting him explore the wonder that was grass. He sniffed at a butterfly curiously, which got frightened and flew away. Totoro chased after it, but the butterfly had the advantage of flight and got away safely. Bokuto smiled at the sight. He let Totoro run around in the field for a while, then picked him back up.

"We gotta head back to school now." He touched his hand to his left shoulder, and Totoro hopped on, his claws digging into his blazer, even dulled. The fabric was thick enough that Bokuto couldn't feel it, but Totoro could find a steady grip. He slung his bag over his other shoulder. "Alright, let's go." he murmured to the dragon. "You can help me make invitations for your birthday party. I'll ask Kuroo for some help, too. It'll be fun! I promise."

As always, Totoro did not reply. Following the pavement path, Bokuto walked back up to the main building and let himself in. He would be early for dinner, and he was hungry.

***

Kuroo found two letters waiting for him on his nightstand when class ended, both written with handwritings that he was extremely familiar with. That was fast, he hadn’t been expecting any letters for another week or so, but when your mail system was almost instant via teleportation, he couldn’t expect anything.

He picked up the first one, a cream colored envelope decorated with spiderly, thin blue kanji. Kuroo slid a thumb underneath the flap and tore it open.

_Dear Tetsurou,_

_I hope this letter finds you in good health and academic standing at your new school. We expect much from you even in the light of change._

_Some friends may be stopping by over break. I do hope your room at home is presentable, though I know you’re currently away at Fukurodani._

_Make your parents proud, my son._

_-Mother_

Kuroo sighed and crumpled up the paper, throwing it into the trash can. Same old, same old. He took the second one and started to open it, but as he did, the dinner bell rang. He read it as he walked to the cafeteria, laughing at the contents. He held the letter in one hand as he picked up a tray of food, then he seated himself at a table, empty except for Yaku sitting a couple seats down.

“Oi, Kuroo,” he called. “Who writes you letters?”

Kuroo folded up the paper and put it in his pocket. “I have a friend who lives in Miyagi, Yakkun. He wrote to tell me about an explosion in his Magical Theory class that happened yesterday, and his glasses melted. His friend laughed at him.”

“Miyagi?” Bokuto scrunched up his nose, setting his tray down next to Kuroo’s. “I was looking all over for you. Is that west of here?”

“East,” Kuroo corrected, grabbing his chopsticks. “It’s a nice place; I’ve been down a couple times. A lot less busy than Tokyo.”

Yaku narrowed his eyes at Bokuto and Kuroo sitting next to each other, probably remembering the havoc he and Bokuto caused in their first year. Kuroo grinned. Now _those_ were fun times.

“Hey, Kuroo,” Bokuto said.

“What’s up?”

“I’m throwing Totoro a birthday party! You’re invited, of course, but I wanted to know if you wanted to make invitations with me.”

“Of course, bro.” They bumped fists, then started eating.

“Itadakimasu.”

“Totoro?” Yaku narrowed his eyes, probably sensing a plot.

“My dragon!” Bokuto said happily, picking up the dragon from inside his bag.

“They let you have a _dragon_ !?” Yaku sounded aghast, like he was regretting all life choices that let up to that moment. _He probably was_ , Kuroo thought.

“For class,” Kuroo explained. “He’s taking Beasts and Plants as his open slot.”

“They let you have a dragon for _class_!?”

“I mean, yeah.” Bokuto sounded unbothered. “You’re Yaku Morisuke, aren’t you? I remember you from my visit to Nekoma. I’m Bokuto Koutarou.”

“Believe me, I remember who you are.”

Bokuto just grinned at him, then put Totoro back into his bag.

Kuroo had to admit, the food at Fukurodani was delicious. The chefs clearly knew what they were doing, and he applauded them for that. Next to him, Bokuto scarfed down his food and went for seconds. Kuroo watched as he fed Totoro some scraps of his own plate, who lapped them up in seconds.

After dinner, they headed back up to their dorm to create the invitations. Bokuto produced some letter paper, and they got to work, laying down on the floor for more space.

“You are invited to Totoro’s first birthday party.” Bokuto said as he scribbled the words onto the paper. Next to him, Kuroo was doing the exact same thing. “1 PM, two Saturdays from now.”

“Totoro, come here.” Totoro plodded over upon hearing his name, his claws lightly scratching on the floor. “Kuroo, where’s the ink pad?”

Kuroo tossed him the ink pad. Bokuto gently took his foot and pressed it into the ink, then stamped the invitation. He did the same to the other two remaining, then wiped his foot clean. “They look great.”

“I’ll take mine and give one to Kenma, and you can deliver Akaashi’s and Shirofuku-san’s?” Kuroo asked with a wink, sending a blast of air over the invitations to dry the ink. They stepped back to admire their work. 

“I appreciate you trying to set me up, Kuroo, but delivering an invitation isn’t going to do anything.” Bokuto said.

“Well, it can’t hurt. You’re still going to do it, aren’t you though?”

“Of course! Totoro really likes Akaashi. It’s his birthday party. Speaking of which, should we get a cake?”

“Why don’t we make one?” Kuroo suggested. “What does Totoro like?”

“Meat, mostly.” Bokuto rubbed his neck. “ Should we make him a steak cake?”

“I don’t think cakes work like that, Bokuto.”

“It was just a suggestion.” Bokuto defended himself. “Just a steak, then. Probably rare. Can we put a candle in it?”

“Maybe. Can you pass me the envelopes?” Kuroo started to fold the invitations, and Bokuto passed him the envelopes. He slotted the papers in, then Bokuto wrote all the names of the recipients on the cover.

“High five, bro.” Kuroo held his hand out, and Bokuto slapped it. “We do good work.”

“Now what? Totoro, don’t touch that.” He picked the dragon up and put him in his little nest of blankets. The dragon wiggled out of it and hopped onto his bed, so Bokuto just let him be.

“Homework?” Kuroo suggested.

“But I don’t wanna do homework.” Bokuto flopped onto Kuroo’s bed, unwilling to disturb Totoro. “How have your first day of classes been?”

“Not bad.”

“Favorite class so far?”

“Potions.” Kuroo said automatically.

“Nerd.” Bokuto shot back.

“You say that like you aren’t one yourself.”

“You’re taking Advanced Potions, Kuroo. Advanced Potions. That makes you more of a nerd that I am.”

“You’re the top student in Beasts and Plants, and your Elemental grades have never faltered.”

“So?”

“You are a nerd. At least I’ll own up to it.”

“Fine.” Bokuto pouted.

“It’s not a bad thing, you know. So, what else do you want to do? Other than talking about my boring classes.”

“Race you around the lake maybe?”

“Oh, you’re on.” With a glint in his eyes, Kuroo burst out of the room. He could barely hear Bokuto’s yelp of indignation as he tumbled out of his bed.

“That’s not fair! KUROO! COME BACK HERE!”

Kuroo laughed and ran faster, pumping his legs and swinging his arms. He narrowly avoided a collision with another student in the halls, who jumped out of the way when she saw him.

“Sorry,” he called over his shoulder.

“KUROO!” Bokuto screamed behind him. “YOU HAD A HEAD START!”

“YOU NEVER SPECIFIED WHEN!” Kuroo yelled back.

He passed Yaku in the halls, who stared him down disapprovingly as he passed. He gave him the most innocent look possible still while laughing like a maniac as he ran by. Bokuto tore down the hall after him.

“IT DOESN’T COUNT UNTIL WE REACH THE LAKE!”

“CATCH ME, THEN!”

Bokuto did not catch him. Kuroo made it around the lake first and waited for Bokuto to catch up.

“Not fair,” Bokuto wheezed as he slowed to a stop.

Kuroo shrugged. “You never specified. Want to go again?”

“Just let me catch my breath first.”

***

Kenma wasn’t used to the bed in his dorm, and he kept waking up all night, even though they’d been at Fukurodani for almost a week now. To avoid a crowd at breakfast, Kenma skipped breakfast altogether, hoping to find a quiet spot he would be able to use for himself. Also, he wasn't feeling hungry enough to want to eat. The past few days he’d used to familiarize himself with the classes, but now that he mostly had the layout of the school down, he could go exploring. Someplace out of the way would be nice, preferably a corner that no one looked in, or something like that. Somewhere where he wouldn’t be bothered. His roommate was sound asleep, so he left without trouble, walking down the stairs. The only sounds he could hear were his footsteps. He passed by the cafeteria, hoping to be inconspicuous, but Bokuto caught sight of him through the open doors.

“Kenma!” Kenma flinched at the sound of his name. “Come sit with us!”

He sighed, shaking his head, and entered the cafeteria, taking the seat opposite from Kuroo and Bokuto, already regretting his decision to do so. His plans of having a quiet morning were ruined. Even though both of them were top students, he could barely fathom the stupidity that dropped out of their mouths when they got together.

The lights flickered, making most of the Nekoma students jump.

"Oh, they do that." Bokuto said offhandedly. "Magic influx."

Kuroo nodded in understanding.

"We might have to break out the candles soon. I hate it when we have to do that."

Kenma relished in the silence until Kuroo opened his mouth, and he inwardly sighed.

"Hey, Bo." A hint of playfulness had crept into his tone.

"Yeah, Kuroo?"

"What's your best pick up line?"

"Oho ho? Is that a challenge?” Bokuto raised his eyebrows at Kuroo.

“Bring it on.” Kuroo lifted his chin, daring him.

“Are you a fire elementalist? Because you light up my world." Bokuto aimed finger guns at him.

Kuroo scoffed. "That was your best? I could do better."

"Oh, really? Prove it."

"From one to ten, you're a nine. You know why?" He put a hand over his heart. "Because I'm the one you need."

"Bro. _You're_ owl I need. Yours sucked though, mine was so much better."

"Fine. Do you have a better one?"

“As a matter of fact, I do.”

Kenma sighed, plugged his earbuds in, and turned the volume up to full, tuning out the rest of their conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyways, the teachers gave Ito so much grief for giving Bokuto a dragon, they totally hate having Totoro around, except they can't deny the fact he is the best behaved dragon they've ever seen. (It's a win for Bokuto)  
> Random side note: I cut 12 inches of my hair because quarantine and it's the shortest it's ever been in almost 8-9 years, roughly shoulder length.
> 
> Come hang out with me on [tumblr!](https://lumenera.tumblr.com) (@lumenera)  
> I post a bunch of stuff about this story under the tag #fukurodani academy of the arcane arts


	4. Day to Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Yakkun,” Kuroo sang. “You look awful.”
> 
> “Thanks,” Yaku said dryly. “Exactly what I want to hear this morning, especially from you.”

Dark, shadowy hallways. Endless turns and turns and not knowing where to go. Distorted mirrors and the aura of magic from spells he’d never heard of. Whispering voices, blending together, sounding like a sea of snakes as they crept up your skin and around your throat, constricting you slowly until it was far too late. _Prepare the way. He is coming._

Ominous paranoia, constantly looking over your back, and yet, seeing no one there. Smoke, billowing from unknown places, swirling around his feet and blanketing the floor in a thick carpet. The floor, creaking under your feet. Light bulbs, flickering on and off in its usual way when magic was being used around electricity. The sound of footsteps, coming closer and closer. _Where are you?_

“Hey, Yaku. Yaku, it’s time to get up.” Yaku wearily blinked open his eyes. Kai stood at the side of his bed, gently shaking his shoulder. “You slept right through the alarm, so I thought I’d give you 15 more minutes. You looked super tired last night.”

“Thanks, Kai.” Yaku rubbed his eyes and yawned, trying to put his strange dream out of his mind. The sensation lingered in his mind, foreboding, sneaking up on you when you least expected. He could still hear the anthem of whispers in his head, chanted softly over and over again. _Prepare the way. He is coming._ A shiver ran down his spine.

“Yaku.” Kai snapped his fingers in front of his face, and Yaku’s eyes refocused. “You good? You blanked out for a minute there.”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Yaku nodded, pasting a smile on his face. “Thanks again.”

No worries. I’m going to head down to breakfast now, do you need anything?”

“No, I’m good. I’ll be down in a bit.”

“See you later, then.”

Kai shut the door softly behind him. Yaku threw off the covers, putting on his uniform and brushing his teeth. He didn’t like that dream, but it wasn’t like it meant anything, did it? It was just a dream, like all the dreams he’d had previously. He combed his hair, moisturized his face, then grabbed his bag and headed down for breakfast. Yaku took a couple of onigiri from the cafeteria line, then looked around for Kai. He couldn’t find him, so he sat down near Bokuto, Kuroo, and some one other person he didn’t know.

“Yakkun,” Kuroo sang. “You look awful.”

“Thanks,” Yaku said dryly. “Exactly what I want to hear this morning, especially from you.”

“You love us, otherwise you wouldn’t sit with us.” Kuroo pointed out. “By the way, this is Akaashi. Akaashi, this is Yakkun.”

“I prefer Yaku,” he said shortly. His dream had left him in a weird mood.

“Good morning, Yaku-san.” Akaashi nodded politely at him, and Yaku wondered how a boy like him had gotten caught up in the likes of Kuroo and Bokuto when they were so clearly opposites in personality. He decided that he liked Akaashi much better than Kuroo and Bokuto.

“Good morning.” Yaku replied, and he took a bite of his onigiri.

"I forgot!" Bokuto's head snapped up, hands reaching for his bag on the floor. "I have to go feed Totoro."

They watched as he bolted out the door, drawing the attention of several students. Kuroo and Akaashi turned to look at each other, then back to Bokuto.

“He’s been here for almost half an hour, and now he just remembered? Wait, maybe it’s been 45 minutes.” Kuroo threw a questioning glance at Bokuto’s retreating back. “Hope Totoro isn’t too hungry.”

Yaku swallowed, scratching the back of his neck. "Was it a wise idea to leave a dragon unattended in his room?” He amended his statement. “Was it wise to let him have a dragon in the first place?"

"Ito-san is kind of crazy," Akaashi admitted. "But Totoro seems to be doing no harm."

“Yeah, no harm, until he destroys something.” Yaku grimaced. The golden dragon seemed harmless enough, but appearances could be deceiving. Plus, he was a _dragon_. He continued eating his breakfast.

Bokuto returned with said dragon riding on his shoulder, happily munching on something between his claws. Yaku scooted a little further away when Bokuto sat down, masking his movement with a wandering glance over the cafeteria. He saw Haiba, sitting at another table, and realized he had to schedule a tutoring session with him sometime soon. They would definitely be focusing on the control aspects of magic and nothing else. He was about to walk over and ask him, but Haiba got up and left with the first wave of students heading out to the rest of the school.

The cafeteria began to empty, Kuroo, Akaashi, and Bokuto saying their goodbyes. Yaku quickly popped the last piece of onigiri in his mouth, put the tray on top of the stack next to the trash can, and set off for Transmutation class. He took a seat in the front, pulled out his textbook, and waited for the class to begin. Another student came around, placing bandanas on each desk. Yaku picked his up curiously, feeling the fabric between his fingers. His teacher strode into the classroom, and he found his question soon answered. 

"Good morning, class." Suzuki-sensei said. The class dutifully responded back in unison. Clearly, some people weren’t awake yet. "You can put away your textbooks, you won’t be needing them. Today, we will be learning to identify objects from touch alone, then transmuting the minerals. Please put your blindfold on. Now, I will pass around the minerals to each student."

Yaku slid his book back into his bag and tied the bandanna firmly around his eyes. He felt something drop in his waiting hand. He turned it over, once, then twice, to try and get a feel for it. It was heavy in his palm, with sharp edges, but also smooth in some places. Not sharp enough to break skin. Maybe, if he had his eyes to see what it was, he could recognize it on sight, but since he didn't, he was at a loss. He tossed it in the air a few times, trying to get a better feel for it, though that didn’t do much good.

"Feel the object," Suzuki-sensei declared. "Focus your mind. Break apart the elements and transform your object."

His fingernail scratched away at the surface, but that didn’t as much leave a mark when he ran his thumb over the surface. Not like that helped to narrow down the list of what he held any less.

“Understand your object. This is a skill you will need.” His teacher droned on. Yaku didn’t understand what Suzuki-san went on about, probably spouting nonsense he found helpful. It didn’t make sense and it wasn’t helping Yaku focus.

His mind probed the material, trying to break apart the molecules. It didn’t matter what he turned it into, really, as long as it wasn’t the original anymore. Nothing happened; the mineral didn’t heat up like it normally did. He heard something crash to the ground, then Suzuki-sensei started reprimanding another student. That didn’t sound ideal.

This was going to be a long class, just sitting there, trying to determine what was in his palm without the use of his eyesight.

***

“Does everyone understand?” Once the class nodded, Fujiwara-sensei continued. “Your homework is to read chapter 12 of the textbook and write a reflection of at least 500 words.” 

He dismissed the class to leave. Students packed their bags and exited the classroom, chatting with their friends as they left. Bokuto checked that Totoro continued to sleep soundly in his bag before chasing Yukie down the hall. He hoped his sprinting wouldn’t wake the sleeping dragon. He could be awfully grumpy if his nap was interrupted. 

“Yukie!” he called, cupping his hands over his mouth.

Yukie turned upon hearing her name, flashing him a smile. “Hey, what’s up, Bo?”

Bokuto handed her the invitation, which she took, frowning at it. “What’s this?”

“You’re invited! It’s gonna be Totoro’s 1st birthday party in two Saturdays, which is about a week and a half from now.”

“Great.” She pocketed the invitation, not opening it. “Thanks for inviting me, of course I’ll come. Do I need to bring anything?”

“Just yourself, see you then!” He waved goodbye, then departed to find Akaashi. His first bet was the library, if he wasn’t in class. He had Akaashi’s schedule memorized. Mostly memorized. Bokuto hoped that wasn’t too creepy of him. Akaashi could be a ruthless study machine sometimes, and he often convinced Bokuto to join him for his sessions. Sure enough, he found Akaashi sitting at a table, pouring over a textbook that read _Channeling for Beginners_.

“Akaashi!” He grinned brightly at him.

Akaashi looked up, then blinked once. “Bokuto-san, we are in a library. Could you keep your voice down?”

Bouto turned around and found the other students glaring at him from their own tables. “Sorry, ‘Kaashi!” he said, much softer this time.

“It’s okay. Did you need something?”

Bokuto held out the invitation. “This is for you.”

Akaashi carefully tore the envelope open. “Totoro’s first birthday?” he read aloud, curiously.

“Totoro really likes you, so I thought you’d want to come.”

“It’s two Saturdays from now?”

“Uh-huh.” For a moment, Bokuto thought that meant Akaashi wouldn’t go.

“I’ll be there.” Akaashi smiled softly at him, and Bokuto thought he would melt from the way his face turned red. He hoped Akaashi didn’t notice, but the boy made no further comments, so it seemed like he was in the clear.

“I have to get to my next class, but I’ll see you later, ‘Kaashi.”

“See you later, Bokuto-san.” Man, he really had it bad. He walked away.

***

"Who can tell me the difference between an elixir and a tincture?" Suzumeda-sensei asked from her lecture stand.

Kuroo's hand shot into the air, and she called on him. "An elixir is typically consumed within 3 months of making it, while tinctures can last up to a year and need to be diluted before using."

"Very good, Kuroo-kun." She nodded at him, and he sat up straighter with a self assured smile. "Today, we will be starting to work on Dreamless sleep potions, which is made both in an elixir and tincture form. As the name states, these potions are used to induce a peaceful night of sleep. If someone uses the potion too often, in whatever form it may be, it loses its effectiveness for the person over time. You'll find its recipe on page 342. Only go up to step 11, because the second half has to be done next week. This potion is a favorite on final exams, so pay close attention to the instructions and the lecture"

Kuroo quickly jotted down a few notes as Suzumeda-sensei spoke, then put away his notebook to make way for his tools. He pulled out his textbook, then raided the shelves for a scale, mortar, pestle, and stove top. Inserting the canister of gas, he flicked the stove top on and placed a glass pot over it. On his scale, he measured out 200 millilitres of water and poured it in, following the recipe exactly. Let the water boil, then add 15 grams of sea salt. Lower the temperature of the stove, and add a thermometer to keep track of the temperature. 100 grams of lassata beetles, grounded to a fine powder. Cinnamon, grounded as well, and a few other ingredients, then he turned off the gas, stirring the potion constantly until it turned a light purple.

Potions was a science, all about mixing the right ingredients at the right times in the right amounts. Chemistry, really, though normal chemists didn’t have access to ingredients like liquid spider silk, python scales or dried aubergince. It was way cooler than normal Chemistry.

While he waited for the potion to cool, he cleaned up his work station. He put the scale and stove top back in their respective places, and then he ran the mortar and pestle under running water, scrubbing at it with soap. Kuroo then rinsed them and left them on the drying rack, going back to his station. He tapped the glass pot with his fingers and hissed. It was still really hot. The potion needed to chill for at least 72 hours before he could continue on with the next steps, but the longer, the better. Briefly, he wondered if he could sneak Yaku some once he was done, but then realized the boy would probably kick him in the shins for trying. Kuroo rubbed his shins and decided against it. He’d just have to make sure Yaku got sleep. Even though they were rivals, if Yaku wasn’t functioning at his best, it wouldn’t be a fair fight.

“Well done, Kuroo-kun.” Suzumeda-sensei said, as she made her rounds throughout the classroom. “You’re one of the fastest students I’ve ever had before. Your potion work looks marvelous.”

“Thank you, Suzumeda-san.” Kuroo couldn’t help but let the grin cross his face. It was always nice to be recognized for your talent. He ran through the instructions in the textbook again, trying to pinpoint where the feeling of something missing came from. Right, how could he forget? He needed a beaker for his potion. His eyes scanned the classroom supplies before they spotted the shelf of beakers, and he walked over to grab one. Kuroo sat back down to continue his waiting, tapping his fingers on the table. He glanced about the room and found that he was one of two people done, the other one being a student from Fukurodani.

Once his solution finally cooled, he poured it into the beaker, covered it in plastic wrap, and washed out his pot. He wrote his name on a piece of tape and stuck it to the side, then presented it to his teacher, who finished her rounds and was now sitting at her desk.

“Thank you, Kuroo-kun, you know where to put it.” He nodded and went to place it on one of the shelves in the back room.

***

Akaashi knew that his mail would be delivered to his room, but it couldn’t hurt to check the mail office if he was nearby. He stuck his head in, greeted the lady behind the desk, and was rewarded with a hastily sealed letter with his name on it. _Akaashi Keiji, Fukurodani Academy, Tokyo, Japan._ He waited until he was back in his room to open it, dropping his bag at the foot of his bed. All his classes for the day had been completed, so he could use the time he had now to relax. He slid a letter opener under the flap of paper, neatly tearing it at the fold.

_Dear Keiji,_

_My first year has been going well, thank you for your letter. It’s always nice to hear from you, considering we don’t get to spend much time together. High school has been an alright adjustment, but I have one classmate who really gets on my nerves. His name is Hinata Shouyou and he's extremely powerful, but he has no control over his magic whatsoever. He is infuriating, because it's a waste of talent if he doesn't use it. What has he been doing for the last three years if not honing his talent? There have been multiple instances that we have evacuated the school because of his actions alone. Though, I am grateful that Karasuno still stands, so I guess it hasn’t been too bad. That is quite a low standard for gratefulness. I know the same cannot be said of one of your schools. Nekoma, is it?_

_Really, high school is not much different from middle school, other than the curriculum. My favorite class so far has to be Elemental Summoning, and least favorite is History or Mathematics. What is Runic Languages like? It seems like an interesting class, but I can't take it until next year._

_Karasuno has a program where they assign first years a couple of senpai, as guides, and to encourage inter year friendships, I suppose. To be honest, I wasn’t quite paying attention when they explained it. My third years are Shimuzu Kiyoko and Sugawara Koushi. They're both very nice, though Sugawara-san does most of the talking. They’re very patient as well. I share them with two other first years, Tsukishima Kei and Yamaguchi Tadashi. Yamaguchi is pleasant enough, but Tsukishima gets on my nerves. He likes being snarky, especially towards me. I think it’s safe enough to say that we don’t get along well. He can be decent, but that’s usually reserved for Yamaguchi._

_I may have to ask for your help in Mathematics. See, I failed my last test and my teacher wishes for me to get a 80 this time, which I have, unfortunately, never achieved before. I blame Hinata. He was sitting next to me during the entire test, going on and on about how he was going to fail, which in turn distracted me(He has never gotten a 90). He will be sitting next to me during the retake, so I feel I will not do well again._

_Mom and Dad have been wondering how your school year has been going as well. You should write them a letter or call them soon, when you have time. Also, during the summer, would you like to visit Miyagi? It would be nice to have someone else around._

_Tobio._

Akaashi smiled at the letter, placing it on his nightstand. He would have to send one to his aunt and uncle sometime soon, after replying to Kageyama and his need for help in Mathematics. He took the invitation Bokuto had given him earlier from his bag and set it next to Kageyama’s letter as a reminder to himself. Then, he changed out of his uniform and into a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. He hung his uniform up in the wardrobe, where it would be cleaned overnight and ready for him to wear tomorrow.

He checked his bag twice to make sure he had everything he needed for class. He cracked his fingers mindlessly, stretching out his fingers as he tried to determine what he needed to do next. He’d gotten most of his homework done in the library before Bokuto had interrupted him, so he didn’t need to spend any more time on that today.

Konoha had lent him the manga novel he’d finished a couple days ago, but Akaashi hadn’t had a chance to start reading it yet. He cracked it open to the first page and started to read, back resting on the side of his bed. Maybe it was the wood digging into his back, or the really bad plot, but nevertheless, he found it hard to concentrate on the story. He didn’t know why Konoha insisted on reading such terrible quality novels. He bookmarked his page and set the book down, deciding it was long overdue for him to go for a run. Akaashi slipped on a pair of sneakers and headed outside, setting off at a brisk pace, enjoying the nice weather. Birds chirped in the trees as he rounded the path surrounding the school. Wind ruffled his short hair as the afternoon sun shone down on him. Surprisingly, no one else was outside.

Once he’d made four full laps, he headed back inside. He would write his response to Kageyama, and then another letter to his aunt and uncle. As he walked up the stairs, he wondered if he could dig up his math notes from last year. He wasn’t sure if he left them at home or not, though Kageyama would probably appreciate any help he could get.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note to self: Never have two ongoing stories at once again. Writing a minimum of 4.8k words a week is hard. :(  
> As always, thanks for reading! Leave a comment or kudos if you liked it, those always make my day <3  
> [my tumblr](https://lumenera.tumblr.com) (@lumenera)


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